Opening Arguments: A Young Lawyer's First Case : United States Vs. Oliver L. North

by Jeffrey Toobin

In January of 1987 Jeffrey Toobin is fresh out of Harvard Law School, and appointed the youngest lawyer on Special Prosecutor Lawrence Walsh's team to investigate and try the leading figure in the Iran-Contra affair--Oliver North. For twenty-eight thrilling months, Toobin served on Walsh's staff and came of age into his profession. Toobin's first book and immersive account of that period is the story of a young man's awakening to the realities of law and a policial, legal and moral drama on a grand stage. Through this defining case of the 1980s--which featured obstruction of justice, diversion of funds, and personal corruption--Opening Arguments shows the judicial process at work. The Congressional Iran-Contra committees granted the key figures of the trial immunity, so Toobin and his colleagues had to work in the dark, without accesss to newspapers or television for weeks at a time. The Reagan Justice Department provided difficulties too. On page after page, Toobin illuminates these b

Genres: Politics, Law, History

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Jeffrey Ross Toobin (J.D., Harvard Law School, 1986; B.A., American History and Literature, Harvard University) is a lawyer, blogger, and media legal correspondent for CNN and formerly The New Yorker magazine. He previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Brooklyn, New York, and later worked as a legal analyst for ABC News, where he received a 2001 Emmy Award for his coverage of the Elian Gonzales custody saga.

Reviews

[Michaela Kollin]

A little bit dry and hard to follow. The insights into trial strategy and case-building were interesting but I felt like Toobin assumed a level of familiarity with Oliver North’s misdeeds that I didn’t have, so a lot of Opening Arguments sailed over my head and didn’t leave as much of an impact as it could have.

[Readnponder]

An interesting look at the case of Oliver North in the late 1980s. Toobin was a recent law school grad when he went to work for the Office of Independent Counsel. (In fact, he hadn't take the bar exam yet.) He provides an earnest and wide-eyed perspective of one of the decade's most controversial cases. About the same time, I worked for a judge who was presiding over a separate Iran-Contra case. I was curious to compare my brief experience with Toobin's in depth participation. Some readers may find the legal minutiae tedious, but I enjoyed the stroll down memory lane.

[william t. hanson]

Been there, done that.

I am also a retired United States Air Force officer, lieutenant colonel who underwent a military court martial, but with a different result. Prisoner of Peace is my story.

[Jordan Lauterbach]

Dull at points, but last 100 pages save it a bit.

[Chip]

Exceptionally slow for the first two-thirds but once the trial of Ollie North started I couldn't put it down. Good, not great. Can see how this was a stepping stone for Toobin.

[Christopher]

Well written, detailed,memoir of Toobin's experiences as part of the prosecutorial team who tried Oliver North. Fascinating insights into several of the lawyers, witnesses and judge involved in this case. A fly on the wall glimpse into this case and our judicial system.